Monday, December 27, 2010

Mailbag: Context

re: my post "Context"
Hi Jeremiah. I just read your latest post and something didn't sit well with me, and my wife says I shouldn't get too stressed about these things but I really had to say something. You said:

"Even more important, control your presentation. Buskers (street performers) are public music spam. No better than those teenagers paid to shove glossy 5x7 party fliers in your hands."

I'm sorry, but after 20 plus years of playing in public as a street performer, I don't like being called 'public music spam.' No doubt there are plenty of bad perfomers out there to that give us a bad rep, but they don't last long anyway. Give us old badgers a break. We have been in this longer than you've been alive.

--name withheld
#2:
Hey Jeramiah! Usually I don't take time to comment, but your post about musicians being public spam was not cool. Even those kids pushing flyers into your hands are signs of a vibrant population. They are part of the arts community just like the artists. What better patronage than your time? I like your blog, but your wrong about that.
--withheld (published without permission)

2 comments:

Michelle said...

Street musicians are often times much better than musicians who play in bars and clubs. They often have better resumes, too. In New York City many of the musicians who play on the streets/subways also play on stages such as Carnegie Hall! Check out the resume of this street musician subwaymusicblog.com - I've heard her on the radio on 'Prairie Home Companion'. And I've been to the Carnegie Hall recital of another guy who plays violin in the subway.

Jeremiah said...

@Michelle - point taken.